• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

The most polished games you've played

Baust said:
Ninja Gaiden Black.
Click to expand...

Came to post this. I don't remember one bug or glitch in many a playthrough. The Dead or Alive series generally works a treat.

Metal Gear Solid 2 was near perfect on PS2, as I recall. I say "near" because of the very occasional frame rate drops. Other than that, the rest of that game seemed to be smoother than James Bond on butter. The level of detail was astounding too.
 
For me a polished game feels "solid" and not game like. As much as I like Rockstar and NDs games, they're still a bit "janky" (for want of a better word).

Nintendo and Valve seem to consistently produce polished games. The Wii U and GC games especially from Nintendo and Portal 2 from Valve.
 
Bethesda.
Kidding


I remember MGS 4 being one of the most polished games I've ever played.

The cutscenes and setpieces were very well made, and I don't remember bugs or silly glitches.

Also the Galaxy games and most of Nintendo's first party games are super polished.
 
Expected someone, anyone to say Fez

philfish.jpg
 
I'm playing Transistor at the moment, and the amount of polish on that title (especially for such a small team) is incredible.
 
scoobidoo112 said:
inspiring-deus-ex-human-revolution-box-by-sesson-dinl.jpg
Click to expand...

This is a good choice, the gameplay variety is excellent and the story is tightly constructed. I also love all the little touches that tie the game's world together like the emails, news reports, and magazines you can find and read throughout the game.

With the above said it's worth noting that the Director's Cut is a must - the original boss fights are a slap in the face to the 'play however you want' mentality prevalent throughout the rest of the game.
 
ruitama said:
GTAV, no competition because of its scale.

Edit: Can't really agree with 2D platformers or hybrids like SM3DW because well ... they're a fraction of what GTA offers.
Click to expand...

What? GTA Online was a huge mess and there were plenty of bugs including save issues for some.
 
The Last of Us. It's dripping in polish.
I have polish on my fingers as I type this.
I would also choose Metal Gear Solid 2. Mechanically it's not the smartest game in the series, but everything is so tightly designed that it works. Visually it looks great even today. It has a pared-back art style with lots of smooth, straight lines, along with a buttery smooth frame rate. Not going to bring up the writing in the game, because that is something I could talk about for hours. But I'll just say that it could have been edited down a lot; despite that, I still think it's better than what people give it credit for, and is actually very straight-forward once you get past the filler.

Edit: Oh how could I forget about Chrono Trigger. That too.
 
Dishonored - super slick, amazing performance and speed of gameplay. TONS of potential for jankiness with all the abilities, complex movement systems, and freedom of exploration. Yet amazingly it all works so fluidly.

Counter Strike Global Offensive - polished to a mirror sheen. Just a lean and mean game.
 
NEO0MJ said:
Considering how badly it ran on the PS2 I don't think this qualifies. Even the PS3 up-port had issues because they didn't adjust the game to 60 FPS.
Click to expand...

I don't know, I don't really remember how well it ran on PS2. It's been a while since I've played it on there. On PS3 I don't remember it having any massive issues, nothing that made the game unplayable at least. There were sometimes where it didn't run smooth though. I think it's a pretty polished game overall.
 
Nintendo games always come first in this category in my mind. Recently both Mario 3D World and Mario Kart 8 have shown levels of polish seldom seen this day in age.
 
Outside of first-party Nintendo games, I'd say Batman Arkham Asylum and City are probably the most polished AAA games of the last few years.
 
BaraSailey said:
I don't know, I don't really remember how well it ran on PS2. It's been a while since I've played it on there. On PS3 I don't remember it having any massive issues, nothing that made the game unplayable at least. There were sometimes where it didn't run smooth though. I think it's a pretty polished game overall.
Click to expand...

On PS3 the game had an issue where it became extremely difficult to stay latched onto and attack the colossi caused by the shift from 30 FPS to 60 FPS. For some reason Sony never bothered to have it fixed.
 
I know it's been mentioned, but Metal Gear Solid 2 is as polished as it gets I think. It's not even my favorite one, but I'd definitely say it's perfect at doing what it does.

Also, again it's been mentioned already, Resident Evil 4. I haven't even beaten the game, but what I have played of it is pretty much flawless. Everything is executed so well.

Both games feel so tight and work with themselves effortlessly.
 
Metal Gear Solid 4 was extremely polished. I purchased the game a few years after release and not one patch which says something given what a perfectionst Kojima-san is.

Also despite the game being average, Remember Me deserves a mention for its polish.
 
Actually now that I think about it a bit more, I think Hearthstone deserves a nod. The game is ridiculously balanced and there are so many different options and ways to play that I feel like I have only scratched the surface (despite playing it for HOURS upon HOURS).

Perfect balance, easy to play, SO much depth and all around fun.
 
NEO0MJ said:
On PS3 the game had an issue where it became extremely difficult to stay latched onto and attack the colossi caused by the shift from 30 FPS to 60 FPS. For some reason Sony never bothered to have it fixed.
Click to expand...

I don't remember that happening to me, but it could have. I had trouble hanging onto one of the last colossi, maybe that was why.
 
I know a lot of people will probably disagree, but TF2. Everything from the presentation, animations, sound effects, and details put into everything just scream that this was a product made with love and care.
 
freakzilla3000 said:
Actually now that I think about it a bit more, I think Hearthstone deserves a nod. The game is ridiculously balanced and there are so many different options and ways to play that I feel like I have only scratched the surface (despite playing it for HOURS upon HOURS).

Perfect balance, easy to play, SO much depth and all around fun.
Click to expand...
I think Blizzard or Rockstar is the true winner of polished games. Nintendo games are polished as he'll, but they are incredibly simplistic compared to Blizzard or Rockstar games.
 
It has to be MGS2.

I still cannot believe it was only a year into the PS2's life cycle when this game dropped. Everything from the art direction, slick UI/menus, enemy AI, sound, and graphical fidelity was astounding for it's time.
Imo, the combination of the slick, clean aesthetic and great art direction allow MGS2 to stand the test of time better than a lot of 6th gen video games.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

What Are Your Most Played Games According to Platform Stats?
2
77
947
SkeletonQuays replied
What's the most iteresting interactive game you've ever played?
34
1K
DryvBy replied
Franchises with the most games.
13
513
electricmastro replied
Circana / Piscatella: 2025's Most Played Games on Playstation and Xbox
33
1K
onQ123 replied
The most anticipated games (according to IGDB)
2
64
1K
Svalr93 replied
Top Bottom